Drifting device



Sept 9, 1924. 1,508,128

G. E. RYDER DRIFTING DEVI CE Fild Feb. 23. 1922 Gi/buffi/Q akr, INVENTOR WATTORNEY Patented Sept. 9, 1924.

umrao STATES GILBERT E. RYDER, 0F LEONIA, NEW JERSEY.

munrme DEVICE.

Application filed February 28,1922. Serial No. 539,858

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT E. RYDER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Leonia, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drifting Devices, whereof the following is a specification. i p

My invention relates to locomotives and more particularly to arrangements by which injury to the engine cylinders is prevented during periods when the locomotive is drifting; that is, moving with the main throttle closed. As is well known, the use of highly superheated steam raises the temperature of the cylinder walls to such a degree that when the throttle is closed the lubricant adhering to the cylinder walls will be'rapidly destroyed if precautions are not taken to prevent air from entering'the cylinder from the smoke box through the exhaust nozzle. The continued reciprocating motion of the pistons creates a partial vacuum at'each stroke and if air is allowed to enter as'just stated it will at. once oxidize the lubricant.

Various means have been suggested for obviating the difficulty. Most of them depend on supplying a certain amount of saturated steam to the cylinders in order to maintain a pressure within them and thus to prevent-the entry of air. This drifting steam is permitted to enter the cylinder until the'drifting period comes to an end.

My invention contemplates the prevention of injury during drifting periods by what I believe to be entirely novel means and which are described in .what followsi In explaining my invention I refer to the accompanying drawing in which my invention is shown applied to a locomotive, only enough of the latter being illustrated to make the invention clear. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal central section of the locomotive, Fig. 2 is a composite view the left half being a sectional view on line .2- a of Fig. 1,

while the righthand half is a sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

It will, of course, be understood that inessential parts have been freely broken away and omitted where this wouldbe in the interest of clarity. '1

The locomotive in which I illustrate my invention is of an'ordinary type. From the fire box 1 to the smoke box 2 there extend a series of 'flue's 3' and fire tubes 'whose ends are secured tothe rear tube sheet and front tube sheet 6. The front tube sheet 6 separates the water space? of the boiler from the smoke box 2. The partition 8 and diaphra'gm 9 define a space immediately. in

front of the tube sheet 6 which can be closed off from the'rest of the smoke box .2 by means of thedamper 9 Gases from the fire box 1 passing through the fire tubes 4 are free to pass directly under. table plate 10, through the netting I11 and so out through the stackl2; while those gases which pass from the fire box 1 through the flues 3 must pass through the opening controlled by damper 9 before they can join the course of the gases firstmentioned on their way to the stack. 'In the fiues 3' there are located. the superheater units 13 whose ends are joined to the header 14. The dry pipe 15 supplies saturated steam from the boiler tozthe superheater header 14-the admission of this steam to the dry pipe being controlled by the throttle 17 located in the steam dome 18 while the steam pipes 16 (only one of which appears in the drawing) carry the steam after it has been superheated from the header 14 to the steam chest of the engine (not shown).. a b

All of this is of the usual well-knownconstruction and needs no extended description. As stated above, my invention comes into play at a time when the throttle 17 is closed and theengine is, moving; for example,

when the locomotive is coasting down grade.

It ismy observation that thetemperature of bonize and lose itsuseful qualities. The air itself would do no harm were .it not for the prevailing wall temperature. The need for drifting steam was not felt before the ad vent of superheated steam. If, therefore,

the temperature of the walls could be re-, duced in some manner to approximately the point at which such walls were when only saturated steam was used in locomotive work, then air may be freely admitted and no damage result. My invention is based on this observation and theory and will now I be explained.

At some polntwithin the body of -the boiler, either in the steam space or water space or, if necessary, in a separate chamber in free communication with the interior of the boiler I locate a chamber which is entirely closed except for a free communication with the steam pipe 16. In the drawing illustrating my invention I show two such chambers 19 and 20 and located respectively at the left and right of the dry pipe 15 in the steam and water space above the flues 3. As illustrated in the right half of Fig. 2 and also in Fig. 1 the pipe 21 leads from the interior of the chamber or drum 20' to the steam pipe 16. It is understood that a similar pipe connects chamber or drum 19 to the other steam pipe. The valve 22 is located in the pipe 21.

The action of this device is as follows The valve 22 will always remain open during operation and is inserted merely tobe used in case of an emergency if for any purpose it is desired to shut ofi the drums 19 and 20 and put the apparatus out of operation. hen the main throttle 17 is opened superheated steam will flow through the dry pipe 15 into the header 14, through the superheater units 13 where it is superheated, return to the header 14 and flow into the steam pipes 16. All of this in the usual manner. From steam pipe 16 superheated steam will flow through pipe 21 into the drum 2O (similarly through a corresponding pipe into drum 19) and these two drums will become filled with superheated steam. As they are located within the boiler space i Where the temperature of saturated steam corresponding to the boiler pressure prevails, the superheated steam within drums 19 and 20 will quickly be cooled to the same temperature as that prevailing on the outside of the drums. As a matter of fact, the pressure prevailing within the drums 19 and 20 will be slightly below boiler pressure as the steam in flowing through the superheater experiences some drop in pres sure. This drop may amount to approximately five pounds. Any reduction in volume of the superheated steam during this change will, of course, be at once made up by the flow of additional steam into the drums through the pipes 21.

As long as the throttle remains open this condition will continue, that is, drums 19 and 20 will be filled with saturated steam. When, now, the throttle is closed, the pistons continuing their reciprocating motion in the cylinders, the pressure in steam pipes 16 will at once be reduced and as the small amount of superheated steam remaining in steam pipes 16 at the moment when the throttle is closed flows to the steam chests and cylinders,it is followed by the saturated steam in drums 19 and 20, this steam flowing out through pipes 21 into the steam pipes. The passage of this saturated steam through the steam pipes, valve chests, and cylinders will cool the surface with which it comes into contact to the temperature of saturated steam. When the steam in drums 19 and 20 is exhausted and the formation of the vacuum in the cylinders begins and air begins to be sucked in through the exhaust nozzle, no harm can result as the temperature is below the point at which oxidation of the lubricant occurs.

Obviously it is not essential that the throttle should be located in the steam dome at the entrance to the dry-pipe, but it may be at some other point between the entrance to the drypipe and the exit to the steam chests. IVhat is essential is that the saturated steam from the drums 19 and 20 be delivered to a point beyond the throttle and beyond the superheater.

It was. pointed out above that the drum used. to store this saturated steam may be located in any part of the boiler space and I wish here to emphasize this. All that is necessary is that the space surrounding the drum should be in free communication with the interior of the boiler space and be filled either with saturated steam or boiler water.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. In a locomotive equipped with a superheater, the combination of the superheater; a dry-pipe to deliver steam from the boiler to the superheater; a steam-pipe to deliver steam from the superheater; throttling means to control the flow of steam through the dry-pipe, superheater, and steam-pipe; a closed chamber whose outer surface is in contact with the boiler contents; and a pipe through which the interior of said chamber communicates with the steam-pipe beyond the throttling means.

2. In a locomotive equipped with a superheater, the combination of the superheater; a dry-pipe to deliver steam from the boiler to the superheater; a steam-pipe to deliver steam from the superheater; throttling means to control the flow of steam through the dry-pipe, superheater and steampipe; a closed chamber within the boiler; and a pipe through which the interior of said chamber communicates with the steam-pipe beyond the throttling means.

3. In a locomotive equipped with a superheater, the combination of the superheater; a dry-pipe to deliver steam from the boiler to the superheater; a steam-pipe to deliver steam from the superheater; throttling means to control the flow of steam through the dry-pipe; a closed chamber; means to keep the closed chamber at substantially boiler temperature; and a pipe through which the interior of said chamber communicates with the steam-pipe beyond the throttling means.

4. In a locomotive equipped with a superheater the combination of the superheater; a dry-pipe to deliver steam from the boiler to the superheater; two steam-pipes to deliver steam from the superheater; throttling means to control the flow of steam through the dry-pipe, superheater, and steam-pipes; a plurality of closed chambers Within the boiler; and means connecting the interiors of said chambers to the steam-pipes beyond the throttling means.

5. In a locomotive equipped with a superheater, the combination of the superheater; a dry-pipe to deliver steam from the boiler to the superheater; a steam-pipe to deliver steam from the superheater; throttling means to control the flow of steam through the dry-pipes, superheater, and steam-pipe; and means to deliver a predetermined amount of saturated steam to the steam-pipe at a point beyond the throttling means after said throttling means are closed.

6. In a locomotive equipped With a superheater, the combination of the superheater; a dry-pipe to deliver steam from the boiler to the superheater; two steam-pipes to deliver steam from the superheater; throttling means to control the How of steam through the dry-pipes, superheater, and steam-pipes; two closed chambers Within the boiler above the fines, one on each side of the dry-pipe; and means connecting the interiors of said chambers to the steam pipes at a point beyond the throttlin means.

(fILBERT E. RYDER. 

